Ambulance cost in France: what Assurance Maladie pays

In a medical emergency the call is to the Samu on 15. Emergency transport has two practical differences from a booked ambulance.

• No prescription in advance. service-public states that in an emergency, the medical prescription can be issued afterwards.
• No franchise. The medical franchise does not apply to emergency transport (a call to the Samu, centre 15).

Source: service-public.gouv.fr: Remboursement des frais de transport par l'Assurance maladie (fiche F2951, vérifiée le 1er octobre 2026), read 16 October 2026.

The reimbursement rate is 55% within the limit of Social Security tariffs, under conditions that differ by mode of transport. service-public lists examples where costs are covered at 100%:

• Pregnant women from the sixth month of pregnancy until 12 days after the birth
• Newborns under 30 days old
• Long-term conditions (ALD)
• Beneficiaries of the Complémentaire santé solidaire (CSS) or state medical aid (AME)

The remainder of a 55% reimbursement is where a complementary health policy, the mutuelle, comes in. Our mutuelle guide covers how that works.

Source: service-public.gouv.fr: Remboursement des frais de transport par l'Assurance maladie (fiche F2951, vérifiée le 1er octobre 2026), read 16 October 2026.

Except in an emergency or where you are exempt, a contribution called the medical franchise is deducted from the reimbursement on transport by approved taxi, VSL (light medical vehicle) and ambulance:

• €4 per medical transport
• within a limit of €8 per day
• capped at €70 per year per person

It does not apply to travel by personal vehicle, public transport or emergency transport.

Source: service-public.gouv.fr: Remboursement des frais de transport par l'Assurance maladie (fiche F2951, vérifiée le 1er octobre 2026), read 16 October 2026.

Outside emergencies, transport is covered when your doctor prescribes it, and the prescription is valid for one year. service-public lists the grounds where a prescription is enough, including hospital admission or discharge, a long-term condition when your health prevents you travelling alone, and a condition that warrants lying down or constant monitoring, which is when an ambulance rather than a seated vehicle is prescribed.

Source: service-public.gouv.fr: Remboursement des frais de transport par l'Assurance maladie (fiche F2951, vérifiée le 1er octobre 2026), read 16 October 2026.

On Regency's international health plans, local ambulance to hospital is listed as full cover on all four tiers and on Essential Health. International evacuation and repatriation is an optional add-on rather than part of the base plan, and air, sea and mountain rescue is always excluded. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, and what applies is whatever your policy wording says. We are an insurance introducer, not an insurer.